Line of Duty BBC: 8 best one liners from hit show - as season 7 ‘confirmed’

• Line of Duty is undeniably one of the biggest hits of last decade.
• BBC show seemingly came to an end in 2021.
• But the cast has apparently agreed to return for season 7.

Years after it seemingly came to an end Line of Duty looks set for a sensational return. The AC-12 team have reportedly agreed a return for a seventh season.

When we last saw DS Steve Arnott, DC Kate Fleming and Superintendent Ted Hastings they had seemingly finally nailed their long-time nemesis H - in a twist that had mixed reactions. Fans have been calling for the show ever since and it sounds like those prayers have finally been answered.

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Film and TV trade insiders Deadline reports that Jed Mercurio and three main stars Martin Compston, Vicky McClure and Adrian Dunbar have agreed to a return. Filming will reportedly begin in January 2026.

With the news that the show looks set to return, we thought we would take a look back at the best one-liners from Line of Duty. Here are our eight picks:

‘Mother of God’

As soon as you read the news about LoD’s potential return, you probably utter Superintendent Hastings (Adrian Dunbar) signature line. If you tried to make a drinking game out of how many times he utters the phrase, you would probably be bladdered before you realised it.

‘Now we’re cooking with gas’

It is funny that this line - also uttered by Superintendent Hastings, he is after all a one-man quote machine - has become oddly prescient. Let them cook (or variations of it) have become common lingo online during the 2020s, perhaps Line of Duty’s influence knows no bounds.

‘God Give Me Strength’

Another Ted-ism - told you the man is a quote factory - and it is a zinger that appears regularly during the show’s many interrogation scenes. It is usually uttered when a suspect attempts to squirrel out of the hole they’ve dug for themselves.

‘Superintendent Hastings, like the battle’

One of the signature ways Ted introduces himself - it is a line that you will have heard plenty of times throughout the show’s six seasons. In fact reading it has probably brought back a scene or two from the hit series.

‘My officers conduct themselves to the letter of the law, sit. The Letter!’

AC-12 are always delving into knotty cases of corruption and dodgy dealings inside the police itself. Which means that they are often having to defend their own from factions inside the force.

Numerous times throughout the season, Superintendent Hastings has been forced to pull out this memorable line to defend Arnott and Fleming.

‘There’s only one thing I’m interested in and that is catching bent coppers’

We’ve already been through plenty of memorable quotes from Hastings already in this list, but this might be one of the most recognisable. AC-12 are always chasing ‘bent coppers’ and this line sums up Ted’s character effectively and efficiently.

‘Frankly son, right now, I couldn’t give a s****’

Line of Duty is basically TV as a white knuckle ride and the tension gets ratcheted back up each and every season as the stakes get higher. So when it all gets too much, this Ted quote really does speak for all of us viewers.

‘I think you should sit down fella, or I will handcuff you to that desk’

Some of the best ever Line of Duty scenes have taken place during its signature interrogations. From Dot’s escape to the clashes with Denton and Huntley.

So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that many of the best lines - including this one - come from these moments. It is what makes Line of Duty so iconic.

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